St. Anne's Church
St. Anne's Church (at 270 Gladstone Ave., in downtown Toronto) was used as the location for filming the climactic confrontation scene in "Games Vampires Play". In that episode, St. Anne's plays the part of St. John's Church. A church of the same name appeared in "For I Have Sinned"; but these are clearly different buildings. The St. John's Church of "For I Have Sinned" was filmed at St. James Cathedral, which is built in the neo-Gothic style: it has a tower with a spire, and a sparely decorated nave with aisles and columns. St. Anne's Church, on the other hand, is built in the Byzantine style. It has a large domed roof, and is heavily decorated with mosaic and painting. History The first St. Anne's Church was built in 1862 on the site of the present Parish Hall. The current building was designed by Ford Howland, and built in 1907-8. It follows the Byzantine style, modelled after Hagia Sophia (Saint Sophia) in Istanbul. This style of architecture is based on the use of curved arches, with a vaulted roof and central dome. The height of the dome from the floor of the nave is 70 feet, and it is 55 feet in diameter. In 1923, the church was redecorated under the direction of William Rae and J.E.H. MacDonald, who chose a flat ornamental design in the Byzantine style to match the architecture, in combination with pictorial painting. The work was done by Canadian artists, including some of the members of the Group of Seven: J.E.H. MacDonald, F.H. Varley, and Frank Carmichael. The ceiling of the apse is painted blue, with a vine leaf pattern in gold leaf and circular medallions with various Christian symbols. In the 1960s mosaics designed by Alex von Svoboda were added to the artwork of the sanctuary. St. Anne's in "Games Vampires Play" The murderer in "Games Vampires Play" is a computer games designer named Rita Scott, who has designed a virtual reality game involving vampires. Rita Scott uses this game as a lure for the detectives investigating the murder of her partner, trying to bribe them into playing the game as a treasure hunt whose prize is the clues to find her and prove her guilt. Of the detectives on the case, only Nick Knight is initially willing to try the virtual reality game. However, by the time he is deciphering the final clue, the others have also realized Scott's ploy. Both Nick and the others work out the clue to mean that the final proof must be hidden somewhere in St. John's Church. When Nick goes there, however, and starts to search the building, he is surprised by Rita Scott, who has been waiting for him in the chancel. She persuades Nick back into the game, where she plays killing him: outside the game, she actually shoots him with a gun. Being a vampire, Nick is not injured by mere bullets. As the others arrive at the church, he is placing Rita Scott under arrest. The remarkable appearance of St. Anne's, so unlike most North American Christian churches in style, gives a bizarre atmosphere to the climactic scene. This is accentuated by the alternation between the real church and the bright and simplified version that is a virtual setting in the vampire game. See also * St Anne's Church Category:Toronto Category:Locations